“Where exactly do you think you’re going?” She twisted her hand in Sarah’s collar, pulling it taut around her neck.
“Bitch.” Sarah spit out the word.
Ryder snorted. “That all you got?”
The older woman dug in her heels. “I’m not going with you.”
“No?” Ryder dragged the other woman forward, not giving a shit about the size-five ruts she left behind in the ground. “There are some men in black who can’t wait to see you.”
“The Andol Republic has no extradition agreement with the United States. This is kidnapping!” Hysteria sharpened Sarah’s voice.
“You should know.” She hauled the struggling woman across the dirt yard in front of the warehouse. “But who said anything about the U.S.?”
“Wh—what do you mean?”
Ryder pulled to a stop in front of a man in opaque sunglasses dressed in more black than she wore on a good day. He held up a finger as he chomped on a wad of gum big enough to give every major league ballplayer a plug. Nodding, he pressed a button on his earpiece.
“Yes, sir, the location is contained. The subjects are in custody. Mission complete.”
Taking a moment to relish the success, Ryder glanced back at Devin. He was leaning against the front end of the ancient truck, his ankles crossed and a shit-eating grin on his face. A shiver that had nothing to do with adrenaline made its way up her spine.
“Ma’am?” The man in black snatched her attention away from her lover.
She dragged her prisoner forward. “This is Sarah Molina, embezzler, thief, and overall awful excuse for a grandma.” She turned to Sarah. “These fine gentlemen are working with the Andol government to bring down you and your entire crime-ridden family. The only place you’re going is to prison, for a very, very long time.”
Chapter Sixteen
“First rule of cleavage: It’s not how low you go, but where and when you show.”
— Elisabeth Dale
Helicopters and small planes packed the sleepy Andol Republic airport Ryder and Devin had flown into roughly forty-eight hours ago. She tightened her grip on her stuffed overnight bag until the hard leather handle bit into her palm, trying to steady her shaky hands.
God, had it only been two days?
An hour after the raid, she was standing at the top of the old school metal stairway that had been rolled up to the Dylan’s Department Store corporate jet. She paused to look back, a bittersweet smile curving her mouth as she soaked in the island’s dangerous beauty for the last time. She could just pick out the tops of the three dormant volcanoes in the distance, standing proud against a soft blue sky untouched by clouds. A salty island breeze tumbled her hair, and she automatically raised her fingers to keep the short strands from sticking to her lip gloss before remembering she didn’t have to anymore.
She’d shed that dead weight, leaving herself lighter. More free.
“You coming onboard or did you change your mind and decide to fly commercial?” Devin stood just inside the jet, his muscular frame taking up most of the open doorway.
Her heart did the cha cha at the sight of him. “Nine hours cramped in coach when I could stretch out here on a private jet? You’re kidding, right?”
“Here, let me get that for you.” He held out his hand for her bag and flashed a wicked grin. “I’m just being nice. I promise, I know you can hold your own.”
Her stomach did that flip flop thing that seemed to happen whenever she was within smelling distance of his citrus cologne. “Smart-ass.”
“And you like me that way.” He snatched the bag from her grasp, the briefest touch of his fingers sending sparks across her skin. “Come on, I want to show you something.”
She followed him through the main cabin of the jet to a door at the back. He twisted the knob and pushed open the door. Inside was giant bed covered in black silk sheets that took up almost the entirety of the small bedroom. Decadent. Delicious.
Dangerous.
Much like the man standing next to her who made her breath catch every time she set eyes on him.
“I figured I needed to up my game when it came to distracting you on the flight.”
“Oh, really? And you figured I’d just hop in with you?” She arched an eyebrow and leaned against the bedroom wall.